Steve Lutz Stresses Importance of Filling Gallagher-Iba Arena: 'We've Gotta Get Back to That'

Oklahoma State’s newest coach has been busy this offseason, and he expects fans to return the favor when the season begins.

OSU coach Steve Lutz has spent the weeks since coming to Stillwater recruiting in the transfer portal and putting together a new coaching staff for next season. With his work throughout this offseason, OSU’s optimism is the highest it has been over the past few seasons.

As the Cowboys try to navigate the Big 12, keeping that level of optimism will be challenging, but one the team is ready for, as Lutz said on the College Hoops Today podcast with Jon Rothstein. Although Lutz has put in work over the offseason, the key to next season could be the fans.

“One of the ways we’re gonna beat those guys is having Gallagher-Iba back to capacity,” Lutz said. “Everybody has always talked about it being one of the rowdiest places in the country and really hard to play. You know, Coach [Eddie] Sutton used to always say it was five to eight points a game, and we’ve gotta get back to that. And we’ve gotta make it really, really hard for people to come to Stillwater and win games.”

Playing on Eddie Sutton Court, OSU will look to get back to the success of the seasons when he was coaching the Cowboys. With multiple Final Four appearances in his tenure, Stillwater was consistently one of the toughest places to play. Although OSU has a rich history of fan support, a good product on the court must come first.

In Mike Boynton’s seven-year tenure as OSU’s coach, Gallagher-Iba was rarely full. A lackluster attendance throughout his time in Stillwater was not always his fault. In the 2020-21 season, OSU would have played in a sold-out arena almost every night if not for the pandemic.

Although Lutz does not have Cade Cunningham to drive crowds to the arena, he could have the team that reignites the fanbase. Despite relatively poor crowds in recent seasons, OSU’s potential success at home is still evident.

College basketball thrives on home-court advantage more than almost any other sport. It might be a tough task, but if Lutz can help OSU become a tough place to play again, major success could follow.

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